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Legion Terminator Squad
Legion Terminator Squad outfitted in Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour at the Burning of Prospero during the opening days of the Horus Heresy]] A Legion Terminator Squad was an elite formation of the ancient Space Marine Legions that saw action during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. These elite cadres were formed from proven Space Marine Veterans who had earned the right to wear Tactical Dreadnought Armour, better known as Terminator Armour, and serve as their Legion's greatest infantry assets, each Astartes transformed into essentially a walking tank. Tactical Dreadnought Armor combines the technological developments of Power Armour with the sealed environmental suits designed for starship crews that work in highly unstable or corrosive environments such as inside the high pressure casings of plasma reactor shields. These formidable suits of powered armour could even withstand the colossal impact of high speed orbital micro debris. History Space Marine Power Armour has a long and glorious history, its origins dating back to the long-forgotten Dark Age of Technology before the Emperor of Mankind's Unification of Terra. Nothing is now known of this time, but it is speculated that suits of powered armour were worn by the techno-barbarians that fought alongside the Emperor as He battled to bring Terra under his rule in the late 30th Millennium. Over time, these suits were refined and improved, becoming the earliest incarnations of fully enclosed Power Armour. Alongside the development of a far more sophisticated suit of battle-plate, the Emperor initiated a program to develop a new suit of Power Armour that would provide even greater protection than that offered by the standard marks of Power Armour already employed by the Space Marines. Anecdotal evidence of the adaptability and willingness to embrace this new weapon of warfare can be found in the Primarch Horus' vocal backing of the Tactical Dreadnought Armour project that was undertaken by the Mechanicum of Mars, with the result that his XVIth Legion, the Luna Wolves, was one of the first and most widely equipped with the early prototypes of Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour. The Luna Wolves stood at the forefront of the development of tactics for its use in starship and planetary assaults. The fruits of the Tactical Deadnought Armour project, Terminator suits became the ultimate advance in personal armour technology the Imperium had developed. Terminator squads were soon matched with these formidable developments with the finest veteran forces of the Legions forming devastating frontline assault units, able to withstand the heaviest enemy fire and deliver a hammer blow to crush the foe with ruthless power. Terminator armour equipped units were particularly valuable in heavy close-quarter fighting such as battles fought in the deep confines of hive cities or in starship boarding actions. Wargear *'Terminator Armour or Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour' *'Combi-Bolter' *'Power Weapon' Optional Wargear *'Heavy Flamer' *'Reaper Autocannon' *'Plasma Blaster' *'Combi-Weapon' *'Volkite Charger' *'Power Fist' *'Single Lightning Claw or pair' *'Chainfist' *'Thunder Hammer' Optional Wargear (Sergeant Only) *'Grenade Harness' Dedicated Transport A Legion Terminator Squad numbering at least five Legionaries often took a Land Raider Phobos as a dedicated transport or a Spartan Assault Tank if there were ten Legionaries or less. Sources *''The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal'' by Alan Bligh, pg. 196 Gallery File:Justaerin_vs._Custodes.jpg|Sons of Horus Justaerin Legion Terminator Squad fighting Legio Custodes File:Phoenix_Guard.jpg|Emperor's Children Phoenix Guard Legion Terminator Squad during the Istvaan III Atrocity File:Gurtur-Fol_Terminator_Squad.jpg|Death Guard Legion Terminator Squad during the Great Crusade File:Sg_063_meketre.jpg|Thousand Sons Sekhmet Legion Terminator Squad File:UM_vs._Word_Bearers_Termi.jpg|Ultramarines Assault Marines fighting a Word Bearers Cataphractii Pattern Terminator during the Battle of Calth File:Invictus_Terminator_Squad.jpg|Ultramarines Legion Terminator Squad with Cyclone Missile Launchers Tartaros-termsbnr.jpg|A Legion Terminator Squad wearing Tataros Pattern Terminator Armour during the Horus Heresy Category:L Category:History Category:Imperial History Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines